If you’ve ever left your mobile phone on an airplane, in a restaurant, or somewhere other than in your possession, you know it’s frightening enough to think of losing the device itself, which costs a premium, as well as your...more

On February 11, the DOJ announced a $7.9 million settlement with a Delaware-based pharmaceutical manufacturer for allegedly violating the False Claims Act by engaging in a kickback scheme with a pharmacy benefits manager...more

Anthem, formerly known as WellPoint, announced on Wednesday that its database had been hacked, exposing the personal information of as many as 80 million individuals. According to Anthem, the information accessed included...more

Almost all healthcare providers and health plan administrators are familiar with the detailed requirements of the privacy and security rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Violations...more

With the news of the breach of security at Anthem health plans, many employers have been wondering whether their employees are affected and how they should respond. The breach extends to members in Anthem-affiliated plans and...more

Anthem Inc. (Anthem), the nation’s second-largest health insurer, revealed late on Wednesday, February 4 that it was the victim of a significant cyber attack. According to Anthem, the attack exposed personal information of...more

On Feb. 4, 2015, Anthem announced a data breach involving the personal information of more than 80 million individuals resulting from what it characterized as a sophisticated, targeted cyber-attack. Group health plans may be...more

Upwards of 80 million Americans may be affected by the Anthem data breach. According to Anthem’s press release, the hackers gained access to the names, birthdays, medical IDs/social security numbers, street addresses, email...more

Do we have any legal obligations under HIPAA? It depends on your contractual relationship with Anthem and whether the group health plan offered by your company is self-insured. If your company’s group health plan is...more

Anthem Inc. (Anthem), the nation's second-largest health insurer, revealed late on Wednesday, February 4 that it was the victim of a significant cyber attack. According to Anthem, the attack exposed personal information of...more

This morning, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, one of the largest health insurers in the country, notified its policyholders, members, and business partners that it was recently the target of an external cyber attack that...more

You may already have read the scintillating facts surrounding a jury award of $1.44 million (recently challenged unsuccessfully on appeal) against Walgreen Co. (Walgreens) following its pharmacist’s alleged inappropriate...more

The Massachusetts Attorney General announced Friday that her office had reached a settlement with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) surrounding a 2012 data breach in which a physician’s unencrypted personal laptop...more

On November 12, 2014, the Seventh Circuit upheld the dismissal of a False Claims Act action challenging a retail pharmacy chain’s practice of billing Medicaid for the price differential between the higher Medicaid-negotiated...more

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a False Claims Act (“FCA”) case against Shopko Operating Stores, LLC, in which a former Shopko pharmacist asserted Medicaid billing...more

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) and subsequent regulations have changed several aspects of compliance with HIPAA, including the way covered entities should think about...more

Dr. David Relman, a professor of infectious disease, microbiology and immunology at Stanford University's medical school, was quoted recently saying of the Ebola virus: “As best we can tell right now, it is quite possible...more

On Oct. 31, 2014, the Office of e-Health Standards and Services, which is charged with HIPAA compliance, announced an enforcement delay to the regulations requiring the use of the Health Plan Identifiers (HPIDs) in HIPAA...more

This past weekend the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indefinitely delayed enforcement of the requirement that all self-insured health plans obtain a Health Plan Identifier number (HPID). ...more

On Halloween, the Department of Health and Human Services announced an indefinite delay in enforcement of the health plan identifier (HPID) rules. As a result, large health plans are no longer required to choose whether to...more

In a surprise move, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an indefinite delay in enforcement of regulations pertaining to “health plan enumeration and use of the Health Plan Identifier (HPID) in HIPAA...more

Certain group health plans are required to obtain a 10-digit Health Plan Identifier ("HPID") from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") by November 5, 2014. Currently various users of the health care system...more